Good News from the Stony Creek Church of Christ

Looking for someone you can trust?

Heraclitus once said, “The only thing constant is change.” He recognized there to be little if any stability in the created world.

Seasons and weather are constantly changing. Even seemingly unchanging things, like the mountains, have over the years eroded and slowly but surely changed. People are constantly changing their minds, moods, words, actions, etc. Ever tried to rely upon someone only for them to change their mind? Happens all the time. We are constantly looking for stability in people, only to find a shiftiness. So, we begin to lose faith in them.

For us to find true stability, we have to look beyond creation. The Bible is filled with passages describing the stable, unchanging nature of God. James says with God there is “no variation or shadow of turning” (James 1:17). God is not shifty. God never changes. God never varies. God does not go through phases or have mood swings. His character is consistent. God is not like us; He does not change his mind (Numbers 23:19). He is not going to say one thing and then do another. He says what he means and does what he says. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever (Hebrews 13:8).

There are a lot of reasons we can trust Him:

God is dependable.

Do you have anyone in your life that you depend upon? Do you completely trust the leaders of our nation? We are going through a time where one candidate says, “You can trust me!” but then we see a commercial where their opponent says, “Don’t trust that guy … trust me!”

It is hard to know who to trust, is it not? Do you trust your parents? Some of us do, but have they ever let you down? Do you trust your spouse … your friends … your neighbor … your co-workers … yourself?

My point is NOT to say you cannot have a measure of trust for people in your life or for yourself. But in the end, God is it. There is nothing or no one else that holds that kind of stability to the end.

Paul says in Asia he and his companions “were burdened beyond measure, above strength, so that we despaired even of life. Yes, we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves but in God who raises the dead, who delivered us from so great a death, and does deliver us; in whom we trust that He will still deliver us” (2 Corinthians 1:8-10).

Have you ever been in a situation like that, where life is so difficult that you just want to die to escape it? Paul was so down that he despaired even of life itself. He was so unsure how to get out of the situation. He had nowhere to turn except God. If you find yourself there, I hope you will remember this text. Paul learned that there are times we cannot even trust ourselves, but we can always depend upon God.

God has a track record of keeping promises.

Joshua said there was not one word of God’s good promises that failed (Joshua 21:43-45; 23:14-16). The Hebrews writer says, “… it is impossible for God to lie, [that] we might have strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold of the hope set before us” (Hebrews 6:13-20). Know anyone in your life who kept every promise they ever made? Have you kept every promise you ever made? God does not have to convince anyone He will do what He says, because He has demonstrated it over and over and over again. That is why we can trust God and if we turn to Him, we can have hope like an anchor in our life.

God is genuinely interested in our well-being.

Moses prepared the Israelites for entering the promised land by saying three times that His commandments were “for our good always” (Deuteronomy 6:24; 8:16-17; 10:13). Ephesians 5:29 compares the way we should treat our spouse with the way God treats the church: “For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as the Lord does the church.” Do you know why God did (and does) what He did (and does) for us? Not just so He could have someone love Him back, but because He loves us and is genuinely interested in our well-being.

God is both willing and able to help us (cf. Hebrews 2:17-18).

In Luke 5:12 a leper said to Jesus, “Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean.” This man trusted Jesus could but was unsure if he was willing. Jesus was both willing and able (vs.13). It would have been devastating to this man if Jesus were able, but not willing (or vice versa). You may know people who are willing, but unable … or able, but unwilling. Thankfully, God is both willing and more than able to help us.

God’s help is constantly available.

Have you ever had your car break down along the side of the road, so you called someone you trust, but they did not answer their phone? God’s not like that. God’s help is always available to us (cf. Hebrews 4:16). God is dependable. He has proven himself to be. He cares for you (1 Peter 5:7). He is willing, able, and always available. So, turn to Him. Let us know if there is anything we can do to help you with that.

Visitors are welcome and valued. We meet at 15530 Herriman Blvd., Noblesville. Our phone number is (317) 219-5852. We meet for Sunday morning Bible Study at 10 a.m. and have classes for all ages. Worship begins at 11 a.m. and we have a Bible Study Wednesdays at 7 p.m. A warm welcome awaits!